Renegade V
by zog the angry chipmunk
Summary: The conclusion to the Renegade series.  Makuta Teridax has gained massive power and is bringing all his plans together, capturing or defeating any who have stood in his way.  The Toa search desperately for a way to stop him, but is there one?
1. Chapter 1

Xeon ducked into the dark wood and stone building to escape the incessant rain. Since Teridax had summoned the Great Being's power, the weather patterns had been strange. Xeon assumed it was just the Great Being's energy affecting the climate, but the paranoid part of him felt that it was Makuta.

The smell of dampness permeated everything, the soil was always damp and water sloshed into Xeon's boots. Despite the severe weather, it was sort of relaxing to the Magnetism Toa, but most beings disagreed.

Teridax, since gaining his power, had created the perfect apocalypse. He had taken dozens or hundreds of beings hostage, including Toa. The Rahkshi he was sending out were stronger, smarter and more numerous than ever before. The best hope for his defeat, Mata Nui, had been forced to take physical form and was kept as a prisoner atop the New Coliseum. Teridax seemed to be causing unspeakable horrors just for show, just to rub his victory in the Matoran's faces.

Objects of vast power were appearing and disappearing in the quest for something to defeat Teridax. His favorite new pawn, Varivix, was wreaking havoc and seemed able to go anywhere and everywhere.

Renegade greeted him at the door. "You're the last one."

Xeon just nodded, too tired from his fight with Rahkshi to speak. Teridax seemed to be draining their elemental powers. Renegade was not affected, but most everyone else was.

Renegade had begun the strategy of splitting into groups of tree. They would be more difficult targets and would be able to function better and make use of everyone's elemental powers. The third member of the group was Axera.

Axera, the being who had fought them and served Makuta, had been betrayed by Makuta. She had joined the Toa in the effort to fight him, even working excessively hard to work with Renegade, the most successful member of the resistors.

And they were few. Many of the Nuva had been captured after it was revealed that Tahu was actually an impostor and the real Tahu was captured moths before. That had been another factor in the choice to divide up; they had been unable to spot an impostor because there were so many Toa.

"Okay, here's what we know so far. Teridax has possession of the three Masks of Power, the Vahi, Ignika and Avohkii. His minions have managed to keep us from the Great Being's laboratories, as well as the Makuta's bases. He's stolen Nynrah Ghost technology, creating automated defenses. In summary, the situation stinks like a Muaka's dung." Renegade read from a tablet, though Xeon was pretty sure he made up the last sentence.

"Wait, the Avohkii as well? I thought Takanuva was protected by a dozen Vahki and the Mahri." Axera put in.

"He was." Xeon said shortly. "Jaller's Mask of Sonar saved his life, but one actually snatched the mask off his face. He's wearing a Hau now."

"So what are we doing about it?" Axera asked. She was adept with knives and had been itching to assassinate Rahkshi, Visorak and anything else she could get hold of. "Teridax betrayed me. I want him to pay."

"We have something." Renegade said. The other two looked at him; this was news to both. "A couple Matoran spelunkers found a Great Being lab. It may be our shot. At least we'll be able to destroy it and keep it from Makuta."

The practice of destroying the work of the Great Beings, Artahka and others was unpleasant but was slowing Makuta. His efforts to recreate the Mata Nui robot had been stymied by just such a strike, at the loss of Toa Rak's leg.

"But there's more. It's guarded heavily and they say Makuta are patrolling the area. It has metal fence, Nektann robots, automatic Midak Skyblasters, the whole nine bios." Renegade continued. "It'll be dangerous, but the score might be worth it."

-X-

"It's not worth it." Xeon said. Ever since losing his powers, he'd been more pessimistic than ever. In his home universe, he'd been able to fight enemies with his wits. But here, it wasn't as easy.

As Tuyet, his archenemy, had said, "Being more powerful doesn't make you right. It just raises the stakes." He hated to admit it, but she was right. The stakes were higher than ever.

The tree met with Renegade's contact, a cloaked Matoran. The long shadows from the spotlights obscured the Matoran's features.

"Here," the being said simply. They were ten yards from the guards and fence, but also in the back near a mountain. Nobody seemed to be watching.

Renegade found the hole. It was muddy, dark and somewhat claustrophobic, but it was better than nothing.

Xeon swung in headfirst, while Renegade stood above. He held his rifle in a ready position, rain splattering off his body from his bulky armored feet to his mask's 'eyebrows'. The green eyes peered out, floodlights casting his armor into sharp relief. He aimed at something in the distance.

Axera nodded to him, going after Xeon. She slid through the tunnel with some difficulty, as Xeon's armor had churned the layer of mud on the tunnel of rough, sometimes spiny stones.

Renegade's much bigger frame wouldn't even fit, so he used his sonic generators to simply pass through the tunnel. He arrived at the bottom wet but not muddy.

They were on the back of a column, which apparently contained the tunnel. It must have been a secret entrance of some sort.

'_Or a last resort for escape._' Xeon thought, looking around the room.

The room was designed like a library, with stone sheets forming aisles. One could walk up and down the panels and read the glowing inscriptions on the bluish rock.

At least if there were time. But for now, they had none. The trio set to work in the eerily empty room, setting charges and wires. Each Magnetism user set off to one end of the room, while Renegade stood at the base of the ramp leading upward.

Nothing seemed to happen for ages. Finally, Xeon reappeared in the room's center, stringing the last of the explosives. Axera was using her weak Magnetism abilities to sort out the wires, making sure it would blast out the information but not kill them.

"The tunnel is too wet to string the wires, even with the insulation." Renegade said. The slightly chilly air seemed to grow colder; if they couldn't climb out they had practically no chance of surviving the blast. "We'll leave a corner intact." Renegade said, already trying to find a solution. "It'll be dangerous but it's our best shot."

Renegade had been reading the walls as he spoke, rapidly memorizing the text for later. He felt the worst about destroying the Great Being laboratories and information libraries, but saw no choice. If the Makuta unlocked the Great Being's technology as well as the power Teridax had, he would be practically immortal. Not that they had much of a shot of stopping him anyway, unfortunately.

Renegade sighed. They would be discovered any minute. Getting a last check from Xeon and Axera, he triggered the bombs.

The Great Being's writing faded. Time seemed to slow down as Renegade watched the stone, once full of information, lose its glow and explode. The fragments of rock flew outward, the entire cavern beginning to rumble.

Renegade felt the sinking feeling of something going wrong. The mud and rocks that were disturbed from them entering began to shift and slide. The column they had entered in let out a groaning rumble. With a sound like breaking glass, the weight of the disturbed mud and rocks in the column forced the side to break. A louder snap followed, and then the thunderous roar of the column breaking.

"Slag. That is not good." Xeon murmured.

"The entrance is blocked." Axera pointed out. Renegade hissed. He could become intangible, but he couldn't carry the other two with him.

"I'll get out and attack from the front. I'll try to distract the guards, maybe that will let you two escape unnoticed." Renegade said.

"No, wait. I think I see something." Xeon said.

"We don't have much time. What is it?" Axera asked.

Xeon didn't answer for a second. Instead, he concentrated with his elemental power, using his unique ability to 'feel' magnetic objects. At the same time he was pushing his Mask of Information to tell him what he was looking at.

"It's a weapon or sensor or something. My mask can't make heads or tails out of it because of how complicated it is though." Xeon said. He found that it was right beneath some rubble from the explosions. Shifting it aside, he found a strange lock. It looked like a circular puzzle, but it was too complex for him to guess at the solution. Again, his mask provided no help.

Renegade saw the puzzle, took a glance up the stairwell to see if anyone was coming, then set to work. He was shifting the parts so fast that Xeon couldn't track them.

Renegade's brain began to work out the puzzle, making observations and calculations that most beings' minds would not. He rapidly determined that it was a difficult sliding puzzle.

Muttering to himself, he made it halfway through the puzzle. "This will take too long." He hissed. Gripping the center of the wheel and channeling electric through his claw, he yanked, bending the door that the puzzle hid and creating a gap around the edge. Wrapping his claws around the newly exposed edge, he ripped the cover off altogether, servos and muscles straining as he did.

Dust fell into the hole. Renegade reached down, lifting the strange machine. "Xeon is right. No way to tell what this does." Renegade murmured. "Anyway. Let's go. Wait by the door for my signal."

Xeon knew full well that the signal would be the last thing several of the guards ever saw.

-X—

Renegade stalked silently over the slick rock. He was protected from the wetness and the chilly air by his full-body armor, but he could still see how dismal the weather was.

Reaching a ridge, he noted the shine of spotlights. He was directly above the Great Being laboratory, standing on the disguised roof. It looked the same as the other stone hills that jutted from the muddy earth.

He slid down the ridge, coming into full view of the defending group. He flipped out a pair of pistols, both designed for silent assassination. He didn't see the Rahkshi sniper until too late.

-X-

Xeon heard a crash outside the door. Moving quickly, he shoved the door open, receiving a blast of rain and wind. He ignored it and sprinted out, followed by Axera. Whipping out a dagger, he cut down a Rahkshi that was facing the other way. His sense of honor frequently conflicted with the reality of needing to survive, he found.

He turned around, suddenly noticing something. Too many enemies were watching him, preparing to strike. Then he saw Renegade, lying motionless in the rain and mud.

-X-

Renegade's mechanical armor came online in a flash, but he remained relaxed and kept all noise to a minimum. Xeon and Axera were outside, surrounded and outgunned.

Renegade picked out the Rahkshi sniper atop a thin metal scaffold. He abandoned the pretense of being dead, shooting the Rahkshi with one move. He swung his feet forward, pushing himself up with one hand until he was crouched. Then he leapt forward, electricity sizzling in both claws, and slammed into the Exo Toa. The electrical barrage did little, but his claws speared through the robot and forced it down.

Xeon and Axera had seen the movement. Xeon stabbed another Rahkshi, while Axera used one of her blades to spear the Exo Toa's head.

Unfortunately, they rapidly lost the element of surprise. With a jolt, Xeon noticed how quickly the Rahkshi reacted and how they formed into small groups for combat. _They're smarter than the normal ones, _Xeon thought. Trying to maintain the confusion, he charged one of the groups.

Xeon noticed the Rahkshi's lack of reaction a moment before he felt himself slipping. He maintained his balance for a moment before sliding sideways and down into the mud.

Renegade noticed Xeon fall and lobbed a grenade at the Rahkshi. One noticed and shot it out of the air with a hiss. The others locked their attention onto him.

Axera was faring little better with the Exo Toa. As one rained electric rockets on her, the other was trying to snatch her up in its claw.

Axera searched for the machine's head through the rain. With a flick of her wrist, she planted a dagger in each glass eye, blinding it. She spun and watched the other's claw fall towards her, but the robot didn't complete the grab. Its other arm was firing half a dozen electric rockets at her, one after the other as rapidly as possible. She dodged all but two, which took her in the shoulder and knee.

She fell to the ground, smoking and stunned from the electricity.

The machine stalked forward, arming another rocket. Suddenly Xeon jumped above it, appearing from who knew where, and fired electromagnetic pulses from both hands. The lights in the robot went dead and it sat stunned as Xeon landed on its shoulders.

An energy beam struck Xeon in the back. Before he could react, another caught him from one side. He stood for a moment, looking confused, before tumbling off the Exo Toa's body. He landed with a thudding clank.

Renegade appeared behind Axera, but something was wrong. Only his life support had any energy at all. He was moving the suit through the power of his own muscles.

He stooped to help her up. Just then, more energy rays appeared. One was fired by a Lerahk, the other by a Vorahk. Renegade shoved himself to the side, dragging Axera, and ducked the attack.

The two Rahkshi appeared overhead, flying with their staffs, and both landed gracefully by Xeon. They seemed unaware of Axera and Renegade. Axera noticed after a moment that they were mud-covered and in the shadows, while Xeon's blue armor shone in the rain and the full glare of the spotlight Renegade and Axera were outside of.

Renegade looked grim. Through his helmet, he said, "There's nothing we can do. Do not try to help him." Axera promptly ignored the advice and tried to stand. She was still suffering from the electric rockets though, and found she couldn't stand anyway. She was about to shout in anger as Xeon was dragged off, but Renegade placed a pistol against the back of her head.

"Nothing personal, but if you scream or even whisper too loud we'll be killed." Renegade hissed. "We need to move out while the guards are preoccupied, and remain free to try to get him back." Renegade's logic was sound, but even he disliked the idea of leaving Xeon behind.

Renegade forced himself and Axera to stand, Renegade being as quiet as possible without his armor. Using a small compass, Renegade dragged the two of them toward the small village where they had secured a rendezvous point with other Toa.

Renegade thought back to the weapon or whatever it was. He had a feeling he would need it soon.


	2. Chapter 2

[1 month ago]

Renegade blocked a blow from Aquaris, and then punched her stomach with his electrified claw. The smell of electric filled the air as she buckled over, groaning.

They were in a stone compound built by Pohatu, in Renegade's quarters. The torches had been blown out by Aquaris's early attack, and much of Renegade's prototyped equipment was in bits.

Renegade finished his assailant with a solid knock on the head. He had no idea what had caused the attack or if the other Toa were affected, and he had to find out.

It was a disaster. The Toa Arkah, except for Aurius, were locked in battle with the other Toa. It was the middle of the night, so their darkness powers were stronger and the other Toa were groggy with sleep.

Renegade dispatched Rak with a blow to the side of his neck, where his cape ended. Then he fired a concussive bullet from his rifle at Cilix, dropping the Toa with a well-placed hit. Iruk and Klurus were overwhelmed rapidly by the other Toa.

Renegade rolled Rak over, scanning him. Nothing was wrong medically, but mentally he was in chaos. The Shadows were overwhelming him thanks to Teridax's tinkering.

"Curse him." Renegade muttered in reference to Teridax, looking sadly at the struggling Toa.

Despite Teridax's power, the Master of Shadows himself was surprisingly absent in the recent battles. In fact, telepathic scans by Nuika had revealed that these minions didn't know Teridax's whereabouts either. It was as though he had evaporated, except for his ever-growing influence across the continent. Renegade's satellites were down, so he had no way of knowing if the rest of the planet was suffering as well, though it was most likely.

Renegade had enough on his plate right now without Teridax's personal involvement. He was plotting dozens of raids on Makuta-held areas, destroying anything that Teridax might be able to use as a weapon, and generally doing everything possible to undermine the Master of Shadows.

Renegade had also pulled out all the stops on his stockpile of mystic and dangerous objects. His possessions included banned Kanohi masks like the Mask of Undeath, weapons of mass destruction like the quark gun, and even the Staff of Chaos. He had passed them out like candy to the Toa. At the same time he'd been working with Nuika to create mental partitions for the Toa Arkah.

However, in his free time Renegade still worried over where Teridax actually was.

[Present day]

"He's at war with the Great Beings." Renegade announced.

The Toa were inside a central bunker deep underground. It was damp and uncomfortable, and the walls were showing signs of decay, but the Rahkshi had yet to find it, or at least had not been able to escape intact thanks to Renegade.

The Toa had met at Renegade's request. He had found something significant to share, he'd said. Teridax's behavior had finally made sense to Renegade, thanks to some information Renegade had gained from his research. Teridax was attacking the Great Beings themselves.


	3. Chapter 3

Teridax attacking the Great Beings themselves could be a blessing. Nobody knew almost anything about the Great Beings. They might crush the power-hungry Makuta with a single blow and solve the problem for them.

However, nobody actually thought that would happen. And even if it did, it couldn't happen soon enough. Some Matoran had been found dead, but most were just missing, same with Toa and Glatorian. The inhabitants of the island of Xia were gone as well. Artahka had not shown himself for years, but he and his island were presumed under attack or defeated as well. The Order of Mata Nui, the secretive group commanded by Toa Helryx, was the first to stop a large invasion, and even then only by pooling their greatest technological resources could they manage to.

Renegade seemed nervous constantly. It was very unusual to see something that could faze the battle-hardened warrior, but this did.

And that might have been what scared everyone else most of all, but something else occupied their time; namely, having found Mata Nui's location. Renegade had divided the Toa into two groups instead of splitting into small teams. One would go to the icy mountains where Mata Nui was held; the other would remain behind and continue the work they had been doing so far.

Renegade had unveiled a new guardian for the Toa. Partly in honor of Xeon, he had created the super-Vahki of Xeon's home dimension, the Enforcers. These machines had been modified by Renegade and now featured better energy production, improved control over their powers and real-time strategy technology.

"Now," Renegade said, "Let me show you something."

Renegade took out his laser rifle and fired, blasting the Enforcer. However, when the barrage faded there was not even a scratch. Renegade also displayed the Enforcer's resistance to electromagnetism and shattering attacks, which its counterpart from Xeon's world lacked.

"It's built with bonded nucleus atoms, meaning it's almost indestructible. It will protect Toa above all else. It also carries an anti-personnel weapon, the RAZER or Radioactivity Amplifier with Zero Emitted Radiation. It will effectively melt a single target or a broad swathe of enemies with no collateral damage."

The two groups left before dawn. Aurius and the Toa Avix, along with Takanuva, left. The remaining group included Renegade, the remaining Toa Nuva, Axera and the Arkah, who were under watch after being influenced by Teridax.

[The next day, dawn]

Takanuva clamped his hand down on a rock ledge, his hands immersed in the deep snowdrift. It was freezing so near dawn, so frozen Takanuva couldn't even shiver.

Behind him, Aurius was not faring much better, nor was any other member of their party except for Arak.

Takanuva looked down the chain of mountain climbers again, noting their extra member. Renegade had joined the search party as well, flying to a landing a few miles into the trek. His black armor seemed to keep him comfortable, but his incessant barrage of complaints to Arak said otherwise.

"Slag this. Why have a Toa of Ice if he can't keep it from snowing?" Renegade chose that moment to complain again. Takanuva had wondered that himself. The Toa still had some use of their elements, and Kopaka could stop the snow.

Arak shot a glare at Renegade. The two seemed to be bickering through a few exchanged glances. But Takanuva ended the staring contest with a shout of victory.

"This is it!" The white-gold Toa gazed across the landscape. They were on the mountaintop. This was where they would split ways.

The Nuva had objected to the plan based on the concept of unity, and Aurius had repeated the sentiment. But Renegade had ran through some numbers that argued strongly for the split. There was almost nothing that two or three of the group's members couldn't deal with. Even better, Renegade had managed to narrow the location to four miles breadth to four miles width.

Takora and Takanuva went straight ahead, hiking down to the valley. Nuika, Kryx and Renegade started the hike two miles to the west, Arak, Hydrix and Aurius going east the same distance.

Aurius frowned. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She waved the other two to hold back, then fired some Shadow blasts down in front of her, cutting through the snow. Nothing but rock, but she was still nervous.

Hydrix and Arak could feel it too. Arak's icy demeanor revealed nothing, but all of them were stepping more lightly, their postures a bit closer to ready position. The blinding snowy landscape looked as empty as ever, the raw cold air hurting to breathe.

Then their fears were confirmed as a figure stepped over the ridge to face them. It was wrapped like a mummy, with a hood and scarf obscuring the face. It still looked ready for combat, more like a trained warrior than a wounded being.

It hopped down, sliding on the snow, and faced Aurius.

"I bring a message from Teridax."

The being held out a wrapped hand, and the group felt a blast of power level them.

Arak, the only winged being, had used air pressure to get up rapidly. He generated an icy dagger and leapt at the being with a battle cry.

The next thing he knew he was back on the ground and smelled the mild scent of electricity in the air. Aurius had attacked as well, only to take a lightning blast to the shield. She deflected another electric attack, but then was slammed into the ground.

Hydrix had managed to sneak up on the powerful being, or so she thought. But it whirled around at lightning speed. Instead of blasting her from a distance, the warrior held his hands out to his sides.

From his outfit flowed a black liquid that melded into any desired shape. It was Ferro fluid, iron ground down into powder so fine it seemed like a liquid. In the brown-cloaked warrior's hands, it melded into a blade with a razor edge. Being liquid, Hydrix instantly realized that it could not be deflected conventionally.

The warrior swung experimentally, chuckling. Then it swung the deadly liquid black blade, nicking Hydrix's chest armor.

The robed being whipped around, blasting down Arak once again. That was when Hydrix's mind made a connection.

This warrior fought with electromagnetism, same as their own fallen warrior.

"Xe-" she snapped, not finishing the word, the name, before a black blade cut into her stomach like a saw.


	4. Chapter 4

Renegade stood on the snowy bank, the raw air ripping around his thick metal frame. He observed the absolute chaos below with cynicism. Yes, the Toa were going to die, but they would provide him an opening. They just hadn't yet.

This was an important shot, and he couldn't jeopardize the Universe to save the Toa. Aurius, Hydrix and Arak were expendable, but the cloaked warrior must fall.

He was a whirlwind, skating across the ice with speed unmatched by anyone but Kopaka. His blade turned to liquid to go around any enemy weapon that might try to stop him. He fired electricity from his hands frequently, looking like a living storm striking down the three.

Arak was first to stay down. He'd taken a lightning blast straight to the face, crushing his mask and charring it. But in that instant, a single laser bullet streaked from Renegade's gun into the cloth of the warrior, dropping him.

Hydrix, the least damaged, looked up at Renegade with a frown. "What were you waiting for?"

Renegade slid down the ice bank to the battlefield. "The right shot." He answered shortly.

He began to unwind the cloth of the being, carefully so that the warrior could not strike him even if he was conscious. Beneath was a strange face, yet familiar at the same time. "Xeon?" Renegade asked. "How did he get into this?"

Renegade shocked the Toa with a bit of electric from his claw, awakening Xeon. The sickly yellow eyes flared open and he lashed out, striking Renegade in the stomach with the palm of his hand and magnetically blasting him off. Renegade flew several feet before slamming onto the snow on his back.

Xeon swiveled and tried to grab Aurius, but before he could Hydrix caught his arm and blasted him with water. In the frozen terrain, the water turned into ice almost instantly. Xeon struggled, but found himself trapped.

Renegade was back up, and he shot another concussion blast to stun Xeon again. The light went from Xeon's eyes and he collapsed, shattering the ice.

"This is certainly an interesting development," Renegade said. He flung Xeon's form over his shoulder while Aurius roused Arak.

The battle between the Great Beings and Teridax was not going well. The Great Being named Tahtrion, a giant red warrior, had materialized outside of the Toa base and identified himself. At first Noex was slow to trust, but Tahtrion proved his identity pretty soundly by not killing them.

Now he had shrunk his body, normally the size of mountains, to a Toa's mass and scale. He sat in a chair in the base, his green faceplate obscuring his eyes. It was impossible to tell whether he was looking around in curiosity or asleep, until Renegade appeared.

"No Mata Nui, but we have ourselves a prisoner." Renegade said, dumping Xeon on the ground. "He's under Makuta's influence, it seems. Arak, lock him up."

As it turned out, the other party had returned with a few of Makuta's prisoners, including Puv, a Toa of Stone. However, most were under Makuta's control and the rest had been drained of their powers. Puv was the only one free-willed and with powers. He silently assisted Arak in transporting Xeon.

"So, Atlas, what brings you down from your high castles?" Renegade said, showing no formality to the Great Being.

Tahtrion turned to look at him. "Now that's a name I've not heard in a while. But I come with a warning. We have slowed time in our realm to buy you some breathing room, but Teridax's skill with the Vahamak increases daily. We won't be able to hold him very long now. But there is light." Tahtrion nodded at the returning Puv and Arak. "While he is distracted, his minions are vulnerable. They are not invincible."

Atlas materialized a stone from the air and handed it to Renegade. On it was a map and a sketch of a strange Kanohi. "The Mask of Revelation. It lets the user discover truths they could not otherwise know. It is a contingency plan for weapons like the Vahamak. The Mask of Revelations, in this case, will tell you what to do to defeat Teridax."

Tahtrion began to fade into the air, saying, "Just make sure it's worth the cost to defeat him."

(I know it's shorty. Next will be longer, promise.)


End file.
